Korea to build 120 MW east coast data center by 2027

[Image source: Gettyimagesbank]

The South Korean government will build a 120-megawatt data center complex in the city of Pohang on the country’s east coast. As part of the project’s public-private partnership, a total of 1.5 trillion won ($1.12 billion) will be allocated to construct the data center, consisting of four buildings with a capacity of 30 MW each, by 2027.

According to the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Energy, on Friday, the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a global data center campus in Pohang’s Blue Valley Industrial Complex involving various investors, local governments, and the state power company.

SK ecoplant Co., DCT Telecom Inc., and KB Asset Management Co. plan to invest a total of 1.5 trillion won, with 1.2 trillion won to be used for the construction and 300 billion won for the development of land facilities to connect submarine cables and ground communication networks.

The provincial and city governments will provide facility subsidies in line with the investment promotion ordinance.

The South Korean government is actively promoting the dispersal of data centers outside the Seoul metropolitan area as part of its efforts to balance power demand. Currently, approximately 60 percent of existing data centers nationwide and roughly 86 percent of all data centers, including those planned for completion by 2029, are concentrated in the metropolitan area.

“To facilitate the regional dispersion of data centers, we will spare no effort in providing tailored policy support and administrative assistance by forming a task force with relevant parties,” Energy Industry Deputy Minister Cheon Young-gil said.